The subject matter described and/or illustrated herein relates generally to transceiver assemblies, and more particularly, to receptacle connectors for use in transceiver assemblies.
Various types of fiber optic and copper based transceiver assemblies that permit communication between host equipment and external devices are known. These transceiver assemblies typically include a module assembly that can be pluggably connected to a receptacle connector in the host equipment. The module assemblies are constructed according to various standards for size and compatibility, one standard being the Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable (QSFP) module standard. Conventional QSFP modules and receptacle assemblies perform satisfactorily conveying data signals at rates up to 10 gigabits per second (Gbps). Another pluggable module standard, the XFP standard, calls for the transceiver module to also convey data signals at rates up to 10 Gbps.
As electrical and optical devices become smaller, the signal paths thereof become more densely grouped. Moreover, the rate at which the data signals propagate along the signal paths is continually increasing to satisfy the demand for faster devices. Accordingly, there is a demand for transceiver assemblies that can handle the increased signal rates and/or that have a higher density of signal paths. However, because of the increased signal rates and/or higher density, adjacent differential pairs of signal contacts within a transceiver assembly may interfere with each other, which is commonly referred to as “crosstalk”. Such crosstalk can become a relatively large contributor to errors along the signal paths of the transceiver assembly. Coupling between signal contacts within the same differential pair may also contribute to errors along the signal paths of the transceiver assembly. Moreover, the increased signal rates and/or higher density may make it difficult to maintain a desired impedance value of the transceiver assembly, which may result in impedance discontinuities between the transceiver assembly and the host equipment and/or the external device.